On July 4, 2012, science, and our understanding of the universe drastically changed. Scientists at CERN announced that they had detected the elusive Higgs boson, the particle that gives everything in the universe its mass. Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology and a member of AAAS, wrote his book The Particle at the End of the Universe to describe the long search for the Higgs, what it is and what that means for our universe and the future of particle physics.

Carroll gives an insider's look at the discovery of the Higgs, he was present when the findings were announced and is familiar with the personal story behind several of the key scientists. He expertly breaks down what the findings mean, and why the Higgs is so important and was so elusive.

In this podcast, Carroll reads the preface of his book. He provides and inside look at the day it was announced that we had found the Higgs boson. You can learn more about the whole book, and pickup a copy, at Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere.

• Science's Breakthrough of the Year 2012: The Higgs boson
• AAAS: Detection of the Higgs Boson Is the Top Scientific Achievement of 2012